New South Wales

Title: Pollution and Waste

Hi my name is Kara. I interviewed my grandpa Cliff about pollution and waste. Cliff was born in Sydney, 1940.

When I was young pollution wasn’t very visible. Air and rivers were clean. Trees were abundant and bushland skirted the city.

There wasn’t much litter. I remember the most common litter in the gutters were house bricks! People used them behind car tyres, as hand brakes on old cars could not be trusted! Bottles were all glass and women carried string bags with them to put their groceries into.

Today pollution can be seen as litter on the ground. Our waterways carry rubbish that can threaten our wildlife and marine animals. Our rubbish tips are being filled with household items that have been replaced, upgraded or have broken down after a short life. Plastic bags have become a huge problem and now shoppers are encouraged to use green reusable bags instead.

I believe personal affluence is to blame. This means people are wealthier and can afford more things. Large companies also play a part. They want to make more and more money and no longer make things to last. I say they are profit driven.

I feel pressure to be a consumer and to buy the latest goods. I would love to get back some of the old time values when things were made to last.